Born to a family of Scottish expatriates on the tiny island of Irikiki in the South Seas, Alexander Frater left home to follow his dreams of being a writer, but the call of the tropics brought him home again and again. But his travels were not for naught. Here he tells of dining with the Queen of Tonga, making his way through two civil wars, and visiting the spots where surfing and bungee jumping originated. From Tahiti to Thailand, Mexico to Mozambique, Frater expresses his love for the region where he is at once a tourist, explorer, adventurer, and native son.